Decca Presents An Album of Christmas Music | ||||
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Compilation album by Bing Crosby, Kenny Baker, Men About Town, Eddie Dunstedter | ||||
Released | Original 78 album: 1940 | |||
Recorded | 1934, 1935, 1938 | |||
Genre | Christmas | |||
Label | Decca Records | |||
Bing Crosby chronology | ||||
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Christmas Music is a compilation album of phonograph records put together for the Christmas season by Decca Records in late 1940. The album features the most popular artists recording for Decca such as: Bing Crosby, Kenny Baker, Men About Town and Eddie Dunstedter. It features Bing Crosby's first commercial release of "Silent Night", the 1942 version of which went on to sell 30 million copies.
The 1940 album issue Decca Album No. 159 consisted of these previously issued 78 rpm records: [1] [2]
Disc 1: (304) [3]
Disc 2: (621) [4]
Disc 3: (2189) [6]
Disc 4: (2190) [6]
"How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show, where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock. In Two for the Show, this was a rare serious moment in an otherwise humorous revue.
"Love Me or Leave Me" is a popular song written in 1928 by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was introduced in the Broadway musical comedy Whoopee!, which opened in December 1928. Ruth Etting's performance of the song was so popular that she was also given the song to sing in the play Simple Simon, which opened in February 1930.
"I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" is a popular song written by Thomas Paine Westendorf (1848-1923) in 1875.. In spite of its German-American origins, it is widely mistaken to be an Irish ballad.
"Imagination" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was first published in 1940. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey in 1940.
Merry Christmas is a compilation album by Bing Crosby that was released in 1945 on Decca Records. It has remained in print through the vinyl, CD, and downloadable file eras, currently as the disc and digital album White Christmas on MCA Records, a part of the Universal Music Group, and currently on vinyl as Merry Christmas on Geffen Records. It includes Crosby's signature song "White Christmas", the best-selling single of all time with estimated sales of over 50 million copies worldwide. The album was certified 4× Platinum by RIAA for selling over 4 million copies in United States. The original 1945 release and subsequent re-releases and re-packages spent a total of 39 weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart.
"Mexicali Rose" is a popular song composed by bandleader and pianist Jack Breckenridge Tenney in the early 1920s, when he and his seven piece orchestra played the hotels and clubs of the Calexico and Mexicali border. The song became a hit in the mid-1930s, thanks to Gene Autry and Bing Crosby, around the same time that Tenney became a lawyer and was elected to the California State Assembly. Tenney was later appointed to head of the California Senate Factfinding Subcommittee on Un-American Activities.
This is a list of Bing Crosby songs he recorded twice or more during his career, excluding all of the 1954 re-recordings for Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
Star Dust is an album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1940 featuring songs that are sung sentimentally, being based upon the 1927 popular song "Star Dust". This album featured his 1939 Decca recording of the song, not the 1931 recording he made for Brunswick.
Don't Fence Me In is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters released in 1946 featuring Country and Western songs. This album contained the enormously popular record "Pistol Packin' Mama", which sold over a million copies and became the first number one hit on the then-new Juke Box Folk Song Records Chart that was later renamed the Hot Country Songs Chart.
Ballad for Americans is a studio album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1940 featuring the popular "Ballad for Americans" sung by Crosby in an American-type patriotic style. In 1946, the two records in this album were put into a new album called What We So Proudly Hail. This was Crosby's first studio album that was not a reissue of earlier singles.
Music of Hawaii is a compilation album containing five 78rpm records of Hawaiian music issued by Decca Records.
Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 1 is a studio album featuring five 78 rpm phonograph records recorded by artists Bing Crosby, Frances Langford, Florence George and Rudy Vallee celebrating the music of Victor Herbert. The recordings were made in December 1938 by Decca Records, who were probably aware that a film called The Great Victor Herbert was being made by Paramount Pictures. Victor Young and His Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment to all of the tracks. The album was followed by a sequel Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 2
Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 2 is a compilation album of phonograph records, recorded by Bing Crosby, Frances Langford, Florence George and Rudy Vallee celebrating the music of Victor Herbert. Most of the recordings were made in December 1938 by Decca Records, who were probably aware that a film called The Great Victor Herbert was being made by Paramount Pictures. An album titled Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 1 had been issued earlier in 1939. Victor Young and His Concert Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment to all of the tracks.
George Gershwin Songs, Vol. 1 is a Decca Records studio album of five 78rpm phonograph records celebrating the music of George Gershwin.
Patriotic Songs for Children is a compilation album of three 78rpm phonograph records. The recordings are all of American patriotic songs sung by Bing Crosby and Frank Luther.
The Happy Prince is a studio album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby and Orson Welles of the Oscar Wilde short story The Happy Prince.
The Small One is a studio album of Deccalite phonograph records by Bing Crosby of a Charles Tazewell story. It was produced and directed by Paramount Pictures producer Robert Welch with musical accompaniment from Victor Young and His Orchestra.
Selections from Showboat is a Decca Records compilation album of phonograph records featuring songs from the Jerome Kern / Oscar Hammerstein II musical Show Boat.
Christmas Greetings is a studio album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1949 featuring popular Christmas songs.
Bing Crosby Sings Cole Porter Songs is a Decca Records studio 78rpm album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby featuring the songs of Cole Porter.